


Eye Of The Beholder

by kuroashi



Category: Naruto
Genre: Alternate Universe - Modern Setting, Dating, Getting Together, M/M, Neji Lives, Ninken | Ninja Dogs, background kakagai, bisexual kankuro yay, rock lee is a go go boy of sorts, stripper? sort of, this is a ridiculous fic i'm sorry, though tbh idk what this would even qualify as
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2020-10-20
Updated: 2021-01-16
Packaged: 2021-03-08 22:48:35
Rating: Mature
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 2
Words: 10,447
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/27124066
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/kuroashi/pseuds/kuroashi
Summary: As a child, Kankuro had often been a bad influence, and despite how well he and Gaara had managed to repair their relationship over the years, there were some things that never changed. Case in point: Gaara would never have gone to a muscle bar if left to his own devices. He would've been perfectly happy not even knowing that they existed. But the new barman in this place was snagging Gaara's interest far more than he was comfortable with, and despite his resignation to a life of celibacy, he couldn't deny the new, green-eyed feelings the Blue Beast inspired in him...
Relationships: Gaara/Rock Lee, Hatake Kakashi/Maito Gai | Might Guy
Comments: 23
Kudos: 73
Collections: GaaLee Bingo





	1. Chapter One

**Author's Note:**

> Another fic for GaaLee Bingo! Prompt: Jealousy.
> 
> Also to get more understanding of the kind of establishment depicted in this fic, you might want to check out 'muscle bars' in Japan. They're essentially like Hooters but with beefy dudes instead of girls. Yes, that is a thing. Yes, I was inspired by them. No, I am not sorry.

In Gaara’s opinion, the majority of society greatly misunderstood what Friday nights were for.

At present, he was sitting at the small table in his living room, picking mealy bugs off an orchid he’d been trying to salvage for several weeks. There was jasmine tea steaming in a china cup nearby, and the evening news was chattering away quietly on the TV. His magnifying glasses, which Temari said made him look like a praying mantis, were perched on the end of his nose so that he could better locate the bugs hiding in the soil.

Yes—in Gaara’s opinion, _this_ was the way to spend a Friday night.

Other people, however, had a rather different interpretation of what made a ‘good’ Friday evening.

Like his brother, Kankuro, who had phoned him three times in the last half hour.

Gaara sighed through his nose as he heard his phone vibrate on the kitchen counter again, signalling an incoming call.

Four times.

Four times in the last – Gaara checked his watch – thirty-seven minutes. He let out a growl of annoyance as he dropped his tweezers onto the newspaper and stood up. He pushed his glasses up onto his head and stormed into the kitchen.

“What?” he said acidly, not even bothering to check who it was from. He knew it was his brother before he even heard the slurred voice on the other end.

“Gaarah—There’sh my li’l brother… All ‘lone… on a Friday… Say…why don’t— _hic_ —why don’t you come down to the uh… the bar here and… uh…”

“Kankuro, if you need me to come pick you up, just say so. I can hardly understand you as it is,” Gaara snapped.

There was a brief silence on the other end. “I may have had a liiittle bit too mush t’drink…” Kankuro sing-songed.

“Shocking. Where are you?” Gaara asked, leaning against the counter. He pinched the bridge of his nose. There went the rest of his evening.

“The um… You know that uh—” Kankuro coughed. “That bar near the soba place where they have those… guys…”

Gaara scowled in irritation. Drunk people were intensely annoying. Even his brother, who for the most part annoyed him significantly less than most people when sober, bordered on insufferable when he drank like this. “Just tell me the name. I’ll use the GPS on my phone.”

“… _Meat Market_.”

Gaara furrowed his brow, then shook his head and sighed. “Alright. I’ll be there soon.”

With that, Gaara hung up on his brother and set about getting ready to leave.

*

The Friday night traffic was, as expected, dreadful. At one point, Gaara was stationary for almost fifteen minutes while he waited for the traffic lights to change. There was some kind of work going on up ahead – though why it was being done at night on a Friday in one of the busiest areas of town was beyond him.

Finally however, his GPS announced that he had reached his destination, and Gaara peered out ahead to the glowing red neon sign reading ‘Meat Market’. Once he’d parked his car, he headed up to the entrance and was about to keep strolling in when the bouncer place a hand to his chest.

“E-excuse me—”

“Four thousand ryo for men,” he grunted.

Gaara eyed him up and down for a moment. He was almost comically muscular. Gaara couldn’t help but wonder if he would pop like a balloon if he poked him with a needle.

The man stared back, unimpressed by Gaara’s reptilian gaze.

Rolling his eyes, Gaara reached into his back pocket and pulled out his wallet. He placed the money down on the desk in the foyer as he entered, not bothering to wait for the attendant to stamp his hand. He wasn’t planning on ever setting foot in this place again once he found his brother.

As he stepped into the small club, his senses were violently assaulted.

The room was lit with strobe, flashing lights that darted about the place and made him wince. The smell of various perfumes mixed with sweat permeated the stifling club, and the heavy bass of the music made it feel like someone was tenderising his eardrums.

What set the place apart from other clubs and bars were the servers. There were muscular men wearing nothing but sequined bowties and latex hot pants sweeping around the room with trays of drinks or empty glasses in hand. Behind the bar, similarly-dressed men were mixing drinks and chatting to customers, most of whom were women in various stages of drunkenness. Several male patrons were dotted about, but Gaara guessed that the increased entry fee and general focus on women didn’t encourage too many male customers. Of course _Kankuro_ would be in this minority of men, though. Trashy places like this were his kryptonite.

He glanced about as he made his way through the crowds of people slowly, being careful to avoid accidental contact. After several minutes of looking, he pulled out his phone. He was about to text his brother to ask where the hell he was when he caught sight of a male figure dressed all in black slumped over the bar nearby.

Gaara placed his phone back in his pocket and walked over to him. Kankuro’s hood was pulled up over his head, as usual, and he was wearing the dark purple make-up that he was so fond of. He looked wildly out of place and for a moment Gaara wondered how he had managed to get past the bouncer on the door.

“Kankuro,” Gaara rasped, tapping his brother on the shoulder.

Kankuro raised his head slowly to look up at him. He grinned at him drunkenly, his make up a little smeared and his eyes looking unfocused. “Heeyy little brother,” he said, reaching for him.

Gaara grimaced as the smell of alcohol on his brother’s breath invaded his senses. “Kankuro, what the hell are you doing here?” he asked. “Actually, never mind. I’m not sure I need to know.”

“He worksh here, you know,” Kankuro replied, his eyes narrowing. “That… Kiba. From work. He said he was moonlighting… but he works in shecurity so how..?”

Gaara looked at his brother in confusion.

“He’sh not here tonight, ‘pparently… Only works Saturday and a couple weeknightsh…” he trailed off, mumbling the last few words into Gaara’s shoulder as he leaned on him.

“Alright. Well. It’s time to go home now,” Gaara replied stiffly, pushing his brother back a bit before his legs buckled from taking his weight.

“Mkay…” Kankuro replied, and pushed his hood down to run his fingers through his hair. “In a minute. Gotta piss.”

Gaara frowned at his brother as he stumbled off to the men’s room, and wondered for a moment if he ought to stage an intervention.

He leaned forward on the bar and picked up his brother’s drink to sniff it tentatively. He made a face at the smell and put it back down again, hoping the bartender would whisk it away before his brother came back to finish it off.

The minutes dragged on and Kankuro didn’t return, and for a moment Gaara wondered if his brother was alright. But when he checked his watch, he realised that it had only been two minutes. He sighed in irritation and decided that he would just have to try and ignore his surroundings while he waited for his brother’s return.

He was actually starting to get somewhere when one of the bartenders came out from the back room with a loudspeaker. He started yelling and cheering to rile the crowd up, and Gaara had to refrain from covering his ears to block out the noise. The people around him were cheering and yelling drunkenly, and they were all the more louder since the DJ had turned the music down.

“Are you ready for some _meat_?!” the bartender yelled.

A chorus of yells and whoops from drunken patrons erupted around him in response.

“Well then, ladies – and gentlemen—” the bartender added this last part on after a brief glance at Gaara, “—tonight we have a special treat for you! We have a new addition to our Meat Market family, and he’s a real _beast!_ I can tell you that I’ve seen this guy in action and I wouldn’t want to meet him in the ring! Give it up for The Handsome Blue Beast, _Rock Lee_!”

As the bartender shouted his name, the silver streamers covering the entrance to the back room suddenly parted, revealing a muscular man about Gaara’s age wearing a rather ordinary looking outfit. Music – presumably some kind of theme song – blared loudly as he entered the bar area and made his way over to the centre. People cheered rapturously as he let out a primal yell to apparently signal his ‘beastly’ nature, and he flexed his muscles in response.

Gaara watched on, mystified.

‘Rock Lee’ responded to the cheers by ripping off his shirt. The cheers only became louder as the green fabric was ripped to shreds, revealing his admittedly impressive muscles beneath. He flexed and roared like an animal while people continued to clap and cheer, and soon a few of the other bartenders started to blow on whistles. Why they did this, Gaara wasn’t sure – there was already enough noise in the club to cause his eardrums to burst, and how they hadn’t yet was a mystery.

Despite this, Gaara couldn’t hide his… intrigue. He wasn’t a fan of bars in general, and although his sex drive was practically zero even on a good day, he was aware of his preferences. This Rock Lee person was… different to the others. Gaara could tell that, in contrast to the other men who worked at the bar, his muscles were punctuated here and there by the telltale dip and bump of healed bones. He wasn’t the most ‘ripped’ guy in the room by a long shot, and his muscles didn’t seem quite so sculpted, but he had an athletic build nonetheless. The way he flexed his muscles was a bit unnatural, as though he didn’t quite know what he was doing. Then there was his hair; although Gaara wasn’t exactly a connoisseur of hairstyles – he barely remembered to brush his most days – he couldn’t say he’d ever seen anyone over the age of ten with a bowl-cut before.

Gaara furrowed his brow. Somehow he didn’t think that this person was all that used to being looked at like this.

He was staring at the man’s rather pert ass when he felt a hand on his shoulder. Gaara almost jumped out of his skin when he realised that it was his brother.

“Kankuro,” Gaara breathed, turning to face him. He felt like his whole body was burning. 

“I got lost…” Kankuro replied, looking remarkably less cheerful than before. “Forgot which way the bathrooms were…”

“It’s time to go,” Gaara replied curtly, and pushed away from the bar. He turned his brother around and pushed him towards the exit, desperate to leave the place behind.

“Gaaaraa… Can’t we stay fer one more…? They just brought someone new out…” Kankuro whined, craning his neck to look back at the bar.

“It’s not your friend,” Gaara replied. “And you’ve had enough to give yourself a hangover in the morning, so no, we’re not staying.”

“Mm… spoilsport…”

By morning, Kankuro owed Gaara a new throw for his couch.

*

Gaara couldn’t say exactly what it was that made him head back there the next night. He suspected it may have been because, following his excursion to _Meat Market_ , he experienced his first ever wet dream… at the grand age of twenty-one. The subject of said dream happened to be a muscular, bowl-cut having young man with enough eyebrows for both of them. Gaara didn’t sleep much, but when he did, it was usually either dreamless or plagued by nightmares of his childhood. It was only typical that on the one night in a blue moon he actually got the recommended amount of hours in, he would be woken up after a night of phantasmagorical sex with a male stripper.

He arrived a bit earlier so that he could eat at the soba place first, so if it turned out that Lee wasn’t working tonight, then at least he didn’t have to cook dinner. 

With his self-preservation firmly established, he left the soba restaurant and walked the short distance down the street to the club. He paid the entrance fee, and this time, he allowed the attendant to stamp his hand.

At this point in the evening, the club was still just filling up with patrons. As it had been the previous night, they were mostly female. Although Gaara wasn’t especially embarrassed to be there, he did notice that there were virtually no other men in the building aside from the ones that worked there. Thankfully, they were mostly wearing street clothes and the men with bowties and short shorts were not yet working the floor.

He sat at a booth not far away from the bar and sipped at the orange juice he’d ordered. He hadn’t seen the man yet, but it was still early, so he figured that he’d just have to be patient.

It started to pick up closer to nine p.m. A group of women celebrating a birthday took up the booth behind him, and Gaara was only able to tolerate about three minutes of drunken screaming before he stood up and moved to sit at the bar, and at the other end of the club at that. The music was just as offensive to his eardrums as it had been the previous night, but after about an hour, it became a bit like a bad smell and Gaara stopped noticing it.

He was scrolling through his phone, utterly bored, when he saw a movement out of the corner of his eye. He glanced up to see the silver foil curtain move, and a few moments later, Rock Lee stepped out. Tonight, he was wearing a thin black vest. Gaara’s eyes widened slightly at the sight.

Lee pinned the curtain to one side and then disappeared into the back room again, only to bend over just inside the doorway. Gaara craned his neck to get a better look. Yep, there it was—the ass of his dreams. Just as perfect – no, even _more_ perfect, if it were possible – as it had been last night.

The view disappeared all too soon, but it was replaced with the sight of Lee heaving a huge crate filled with glass bottles into his arms. They rattled slightly, but the weight apparently didn’t faze Lee, whose shoulders and back muscles flexed deliciously. Gaara licked his lips as he ogled him, but he looked away before Lee turned around fully to catch him in the act.

Gaara found himself stealing surreptitious glances at him every time he got the chance. At one point, Lee apparently grew bored of serving drinks to customers and decided to do a few chin up exercises on the metal bar that had been installed on the wall not far away from the entrance.

To Gaara’s chagrin, this apparently caught the attention of a few of the other patrons too. One of the women at the booth closest to him even held up her phone, apparently filming or taking photos of him. Lee didn’t seem to notice; even if he did, it was likely that dealing with this kind of behaviour—and worse—from customers was to be expected. Nonetheless, it grated on something visceral deep inside Gaara, something that he thought he’d dulled with the many years of therapy he’d been to throughout his teens.

Whatever it was, it was not yet finished with Gaara, whose nostrils flared and teeth ground together as he set his jaw and glared.

In the next moment, one of the women from the booth stood and approached Lee to lift up his top. She was ogling his muscular abdomen and stroking the defined muscles there with a drunken cackle to her friends, who laughed and cheered her on.

Lee blushed deeply, which only seemed to excite the women further. To Gaara’s surprise however, he didn’t do much besides keep going through his set. He seemed rather focused on it, actually – which confirmed Gaara’s earlier suspicion that Lee was indeed an athlete of some kind, and probably not working here out of a perverted desire to parade himself in front of drunken women.

Well, that was one good thing at least.

Despite this, the searing jealousy inside him was not fading. He glared across the bar to where Lee was lifting and lowering himself with incredible stamina, wondering whether it would be possible to pulverise Lee’s admirer to death just by squeezing his hand. Luckily however, she stumbled back to her table after a few minutes, apparently satisfied with her little investigation.

Lee didn’t continue with the set for much longer, apparently done for the time being. He let go of the bar and landed gracefully. As he did, one of the women from the table stood up and walked over to him, a half empty glass in hand. She was probably drunk, though she was apparently coherent enough to hold a conversation with Lee for several minutes.

It was several minutes too long in Gaara’s opinion. He dug his nails into his empty glass so hard that he actually felt it fritter beneath his fingers.

Nonetheless, they continued to chatter, and Lee smiled and nodded politely along with whatever the woman was talking about. Gaara was transfixed; even if he didn’t like the attention Lee was getting from his patrons, he couldn’t deny how handsome he was. He had dimples when he smiled, and the flush on his cheeks had not gone away. He rubbed the back of his head, something which came off as slightly uncomfortable, or maybe just shy. His eyelashes were as fluffy as his eyebrows, and they framed his big warm eyes and made him look even gentler despite his impressive physique.

Finally the woman left him alone, but not before she gave Lee a hug. It lingered for far too long in Gaara’s opinion, although it was only really a few seconds. She stumbled back to the table and then Lee was suddenly walking toward him. Gaara looked down at his phone again and pretended not to have been staring.

“Can I get you anything?”

Gaara looked up. Lee was behind the bar now, fiddling with some of the items below as he regarded Gaara.

“Uh,” Gaara began, and shook his head slightly as he tried not to look back at him. “I’ll have the um… grapefruit juice.”

“Coming right up!” Lee replied cheerily, and in the next moment he was setting up a pitcher on the counter in front of him. He sliced a grapefruit in half and began to squeeze the fruit into the pitcher by hand. As he did so, his biceps bulged and he bit his lip.

Gaara let out a deep exhale as he watched on with half-lidded eyes. Then Lee was cutting another grapefruit in half and doing the same thing again, only this time Gaara’s eyes dragged up and down Lee’s body slowly, taking in every ripple and pulse of flesh. For once, he was glad for the loud music, because it swallowed up the shuddering groan he let out. Then, all too soon, Lee was filling up the glass with ice and setting it down in front of Gaara, who for a moment just stared at it vacantly.

“…That’s four hundred ryo,” Lee said after a moment.

Gaara blinked and looked up at him. “Oh, sure,” he mumbled, and reached into his pocket to place a few coins in Lee’s outstretched hands.

Lee turned away to put the money in the register, and Gaara took a sip of his drink as he watched him. He realised that it would be a good time to say something to him, but his mind was utterly void of coherent thoughts in that moment, too absorbed by Lee’s incredible body.

Gaara opened his mouth to say something to him, but then Lee was called over to the other end of the bar, leaving him alone once more.

The night dragged on, and the longer Gaara sat there, the more he felt like he had wasted his time coming back. Even if Lee had been interested in him in the same way – unlikely, but still possible—Gaara was just too… _defective_ to ever successfully hold his attention for very long. That was plain as day now.

He sat there scrolling on his phone for a while, feeling utterly dejected. Before he knew it, another bartender was calling out for last orders. He headed for the bathroom, and when he came back he was dismayed to find that his spot at the bar had been taken. He sighed and approached the bar to grab his coat from the back of the stool, ignoring the yelp the woman sitting on it let out, and headed for the door.

Stepping out into the night was an unpleasant surprise, as the temperature had dropped significantly and a bitter chill was in the air. He pulled his jacket around him tightly, standing close to the wall so he didn’t get in anyone’s way. By the time he made it to the corner of the building, he was feeling a little bit apprehensive. The car park was very poorly lit considering the busy night life of this district, and Gaara had foolishly parked in the far corner near some bushes.

He glanced around. The gaggle of women who’d left just after him was several paces ahead of him and they were walking straight past the lot. He shivered and held his jacket closer to his body, suddenly feeling extremely small.

Gaara nearly jumped out of his skin when he felt someone walk into him from behind.

“Oh! Excuse me!”

Gaara turned around to see none other than the Handsome Blue Beast himself, but wearing a denim jacket and a scarf now. Gaara’s eyes were wide as he looked at him and his heart pounded against his ribcage like a drum, adrenaline rushing through his veins.

His panic must’ve been clear on his face because Lee’s expression became rather alarmed. “Are you alright?! I didn’t hurt you, did I?!”

Gaara blinked rapidly a few times and let out a shaky breath as he recovered. “…No, it’s alright,” he replied, looking at the floor. “It was my fault,” he added, putting his palms flat on his thighs to centre himself in the way he’d been taught. “I shouldn’t have stood still right in the middle of the pavement like that.”

“No, I should’ve been looking where I was going. These phones really are dangerous, huh?!” Lee asked, scratching the back of his head and shoving his phone back into his pocket.

Gaara said nothing for a moment, and then he nodded. “…Did you park here too?” he asked, nodding over his shoulder to the near-empty parking lot.

“Yes! I usually park near the entrance because it’s so poorly lit. I’ve spoken to the management about it, but they said since it’s not just our parking lot, there’s not a lot we can do unless the other businesses chip in or the city decides to do something about it.”

Gaara nodded and then shifted uncomfortably. “I… parked quite far away…”

Lee’s eyes widened in understanding and then he grinned. “Don’t worry! I’ll walk you to your car!” he said, and approached Gaara swiftly. Before he could say anything, Lee was touching the back of his shoulder and guiding him into the parking lot.

“Now, where did you park?” he asked, looking out into the semi-darkness.

Gaara stiffened at the touch, but he relaxed more easily than he expected to. He knew he should be more wary, but he just couldn’t feel any bad intentions coming off this guy. He stayed on his guard anyway, but he couldn’t help the profound sense of safety he felt beside this man. He pointed in the direction of his car, and they began walking across the large gravel yard.

“If you don’t mind me asking, what’s your name?” Lee asked. He wasn’t touching him anymore, but he was still in close proximity. Gaara felt the adrenaline ebb away slowly, and felt the flame of his desire begin to burn stronger.

“Gaara.”

“It’s nice to meet you! I’m Rock Lee!”

Gaara nodded. Of course, he already knew Lee’s name, although he had wondered if it was a stage name. Apparently not.

For a few moments, it was silent but for the crunch of their footsteps on the gravel. Gaara knew he had to say something, or they were just going to part ways awkwardly and he would miss his chance like he had earlier.

“That was impressive,” he said after a moment.

Lee glanced at him. “Excuse me?”

“That set you did on the chin-up bar earlier. It was impressive.”

“Oh! Thank you,” Lee replied. “Truthfully I don’t really exercise much when I’m working; I mostly stay around the bar. I prefer to train with friends.”

Lee beamed at him as he spoke and Gaara felt something in his chest flutter. That was odd. He’d not… he’d not felt that before.

“Train? What do you train in?”

“Taijutsu!” Lee exclaimed. “It’s the most majestic and graceful of martial arts. My teacher—Gai-sensei—taught me everything I know, and my friends and I have been learning from him since we were children.”

Gaara nodded, his suspicions confirmed. “I had a feeling you were an athlete of some kind,” he replied. “You’re not like the other guys here.”

Lee cocked his head to the side as he regarded him, and Gaara had to look away. It was as if someone had transformed a puppy into a man and given him the body of an Olympic champion.

“What do you mean?” he asked, looking Gaara up and down curiously.

“I mean…” Gaara began. “You don’t build muscle for the sake of it, or to look good. You do it because you’re passionate about something… martial arts, in this case.”

Lee blinked at him a few times, and then frowned thoughtfully. “Hm… I think the men here are all different. I can’t speak for them.”

Gaara nodded, and he was silent for a minute. “I guess I’m not one to talk. I don’t think I have an ounce of muscle on me.”

He shifted a bit as Lee gave him a once over. He thought he noticed a slight darkening of his already coal-black eyes, but he could’ve just been imagining things. It _was_ dark after all.

“You’re not that bad. And everyone has muscles! You just need to work hard, and you can do whatever you set your mind to!” he replied.

Gaara huffed and smirked. “Really? I think it’d take me a long time to get anywhere near your level,” he said, staring at Lee’s chest.

Lee followed his line of sight to his own chest. Then he looked back at Gaara somewhat thoughtfully. “Well… maybe I can help give you a head start.”

“Hm?”

“I teach kids at my sensei’s dojo, but I can give you some lessons in my free time if you want,” he explained.

Gaara blinked at him. “Are you trying to advertise yourself or something?” he asked.

Lee laughed. “Of course not! I mean for free. Unless… well, that was a bit presumptuous of me. N-never mind,” he trailed off, fidgeting a bit.

Gaara looked him up and down, feeling his heart in his throat as the realisation of what Lee had been insinuating with his offer dawned on him. “That would be nice,” he rasped. “Do you… do you need my number?”

They were almost at his car now.

“Oh! Well, if you don’t mind—” Lee reached into his pocket for his phone and tapped on it a few times before handing it to him.

Gaara typed in his number and then reached for his own phone as they stopped at the rear bumper of his car. Wordlessly he typed Lee’s name into the contact list and then handed it to him so he could enter his own number.

Once they were done, Lee shoved his phone back into his pocket and then bounced on the balls of his feet. “So… I guess I’ll see you around,” he said, still smiling.

Gaara was watching Lee with his lizard-like gaze, as if he was discovering something from an alien planet for the first time. He only looked up when he didn’t hear Lee say anything else.

“…Sure,” he replied, his eyes looking deep into Lee’s.

After a moment, Lee flushed slightly and nodded, before turning around and walking back to his own car near the entrance. He looked back and waved when he was several yards away.

As Gaara watched him go, he had the faintest feeling that something in his life had just dramatically shifted. However, given the unexpected end to his night, he didn’t really notice it.

It was going to be hard to explain this to Kankuro.

*


	2. Chapter Two

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Here it is! Sorry for the big break in between chapters. I hope you enjoy it anyway!

If Gaara slept more than once in a blue moon, he would’ve been quite annoyed to receive a text at six-thirty a.m. Lucky for the sender, however, Gaara was wide awake and scrolling through YouTube videos on his phone when the text came through.

He jerked a bit as his phone chimed unexpectedly, then tensed as the name of the sender flashed up as ‘Lee’. He tapped on it and scanned over the text quickly.

_‘Good morning! I hope I didn’t wake you, but I was out for my morning run and thought you’d like this.’_

Gaara watched as the three dots on the screen flashed a few times, followed by the grey square of an image window. It loaded a second later, flashing a picture of a bright orange and red sunrise.

_‘I saw it and I was instantly reminded of you, because of your hair! Ha-ha.’_

Gaara’s lips twisted into a small smirk. His fingers hovered over the text box as he considered how to reply. Given the awkward circumstances of their meeting, it was difficult to imagine how he could make things any more uncomfortable. Regardless, he still felt apprehensive about scaring Lee off.

_‘It’s beautiful. And it’s alright, I don’t really sleep anyway.’_

He hesitated before he finally tapped the arrow to send the message, and felt his body tense as he waited for Lee’s reply. The little loading screen with three dots appeared shortly after.

_‘Oh, really? That’s too bad. I have some herbal remedies that my teacher told me about, if you’re interested!’_

Gaara didn’t have the heart to tell Lee that he had tried virtually everything already, and had accepted long ago that he would probably never sleep regularly. But that was a can of worms he didn’t feel ready to open yet, especially so soon after their meeting.

_‘That’s alright. I’m used to it now. Why do you go running so early in the morning?_

_‘Morning is a wonderful time to go running! The air is crisp and fresh, and the birds are just coming out to sing. Plus, it’s not as busy at this time in the morning. Perhaps you could join me one day?’_

Gaara worried his lip between his teeth as he considered his next reply.

 _‘Like a date?’_ He hesitated before tapping ‘send’, and burrowed into the blankets a little further.

It took a few minutes for Lee to reply, and Gaara was concerned for a minute that he’d frightened him off. He wrestled his way out of the blanket cocoon he’d buried himself in to go make some tea.

Finally there was a reply. Gaara almost dropped his phone in his haste to read it.

_‘Sorry about that. I had to take a call. But yes! I would love to take you out on a date sometime, if you’d like to.’_

A small smile slowly spread across Gaara’s face. This was ridiculous. For the first time in his life, he was feeling _excited_ , something that would probably stun his siblings enough to knock them out cold.

His thumbs danced over the screen momentarily as he thought about how to reply.

_‘That would be nice. What were you thinking?’_

Lee took another few minutes to reply, but Gaara knew this time that he was probably just doing something else, so he wasn’t quite as tense.

_‘Well actually, I had a text from my friend last night. It’s a bit difficult to explain, but the short version is that she’s babysitting her teacher’s dogs and she can’t take them on a walk next weekend because she’s got to do some training thing for work. Would you like to join me when I take them to the park?’_

Gaara blinked a few times as he thought this over. He wasn’t exactly an animal kind of person… he found that he got on best with the bugs he came across at work. Bugs, and – strangely – raccoons. (They just didn’t seem to be afraid of him for some reason.)

But he wasn’t about to pass up the opportunity for a date with Lee, regardless of what it entailed.

It seemed that he took a bit too long to respond however, as just as he was about to type out a reply, another text came through.

_‘There’s a little café in the middle of the park in my neighbourhood… Maybe we can stop and get coffee there? But if that’s too much for you, it’s no problem! We can do something else.’_

Gaara smiled as he read over Lee’s text. He wasn’t one to call anything cute, but there was something very endearing about his manner.

_‘That sounds good. Which park is it?’_

_‘It’s the park with those big pink elephant rides in the playground. Near the gym?’_

_‘I know the one. When shall we meet?’_

_‘How about Saturday at two p.m.?’_

_‘Sure.’  
‘I’m looking forward to it.’_

_‘Me too!’_

Gaara dropped his phone onto the mattress and lay out across his bed. It was getting on for seven a.m. now, and the sunlight was peeking through his blinds. For the first time in a long while, he actually felt like sleeping. Maybe it was the pressure of his job finally beginning to catch up with him, or maybe it was the newfound dreaminess settling into his bones…

He didn’t know why, but he just felt nothing but good things about Lee. He wasn’t stupid; he was sure that he would probably discover his flaws at some point, but there was something undeniably safe about Lee’s demeanour. Gaara felt like he would be able to trust him, even if he was sensible enough not to just yet.

A quick glance at his phone told him it was probably time to think about making breakfast, but he didn’t feel like eating right now. Instead, he figured he might be able to get some sleep, even if it was only for an hour.

Three hours later, he was feeling grateful that it was a Sunday.

*

When Lee had mentioned taking dogs, plural, out for a walk, Gaara had envisioned two dogs. Maybe three at a stretch.

He was not expecting an entire pack of dogs of all shapes and sizes.

“Hey!! Gaara-kun!!”

Gaara looked up. Seated on a bench about fifty yards away was Lee, tying up his shoelaces. He was wearing a dark green body warmer over a rather thin looking top which, although Gaara appreciated the way the fabric of the long sleeves clung to his muscles, had to be making him shiver. Gaara himself was bundled up in a heavy woollen coat and a deep red scarf, his cheeks pink from the cold.

He walked toward him a bit more briskly. He’d left earlier than necessary, but Lee had apparently been even earlier.

“Hello,” Gaara muttered.

“How are you? Did you get here safely? The roads weren’t too icy were they?” Lee asked, his smile big and bright enough to revive a heart in cardiac arrest.

“I’m well, thank you,” Gaara replied. For some reason he felt like his heart was in this throat. “I walked. I don’t live too far away.”

“Oh, me neither! I come here when I’m just feeling like a short run, although I had to drive to my friend’s teacher’s house to collect the dogs before I came here,” Lee explained, motioning broadly to the pack of dogs currently frolicking around on the grass.

“Are they… are they _all_ your teacher’s dogs?”

“Yes! I know it seems like a lot, but Kakashi-sensei tells me that they all have very important jobs,” Lee explained with a serious nod.

Gaara’s eyes flicked over to the dog a few feet away, who was currently rolling in what appeared to be deer droppings.

“…Right.”

“Well, I thought we’d take the forest trail, if you’re up for it? It leads out to the lake and the café that overlooks it,” Lee suggested, motioning to the path that led into a thicket of pine trees.

“Sure,” Gaara agreed, shoving his hands in his pockets.

“Come on you guys!” Lee called out, waving to the dogs, which came galloping up to them merrily. Lee stopped for a few moments while the largest of them cocked his leg against a waste bin before trotting up to them.

The weather was bitter and Gaara’s eyes occasionally flicked to Lee’s arms which, while very attractive, really ought to be covered more.

“..Aren’t you cold?” Gaara asked.

Lee looked away from the dog which had run off a bit further than the others. “No, thank you for asking!” he said with a grin. “Actually, I rarely feel the cold. I have a very good circulation, and I ran six miles this morning before dawn, so I have the fiery energy of my youth to warm my body.”

“…I see.”

“It certainly is cold though! Apparently there’s going to be some snow this week. Isn’t that exciting?” Lee asked with a bright grin. The way he was walking was a little odd – like he was just waiting for the signal to bolt. He was practically bouncing on the balls of his feet, and walking in step with Gaara seemed to be a struggle.

Gaara frowned. “That’s troubling. I’ll have to make sure there’s enough fleece in storage to protect the more vulnerable plants…”

“Plants? Do you have a garden?” Lee asked, blinking at Gaara curiously.

“Sort of,” Gaara replied. “I’m a horticulturist at the botanical gardens. I work in the butterfly house mainly; there are a lot of tropical plants in it that need specialist care.”

“Ohh,” Lee gasped, his eyes momentarily flicking away from tracking the dogs as they ran through the trees. “That’s so interesting!”

Gaara’s lips twisted into a smirk. “It pays the bills.”

“Oh, you don’t enjoy it?” Lee asked.

“It’s interesting enough. Plus it’s helping me earn my Ph.D, so I can’t complain.”

“A Ph.D?!” Lee gasped. His eyes became even rounder momentarily, and then he looked away.

Gaara saw Lee’s larynx bob as if he were gulping, and furrowed his brow. “Yes.”

There was a brief silence.

“…Is that a problem?” he asked, studying Lee’s face.

Lee glanced back at him. “Of course not! I’m just—I don’t know what you’re, um—looking for,” he finished with a blush.

Frowning, Gaara glanced up from watching his boots crunch against the frosty leaves on the ground as he walked. “I’m not looking for anything.”

“…Oh. But then—why did you come to meet me today?” There was a sad edge to Lee’s voice that Gaara didn’t like.

“For a date.”

“But you said—I mean, you’re not looking for—for a relationship?” Lee began, before he coughed and continued with flushed cheeks. “Because you should know, just because I work at the muscle bar, it doesn’t mean—I mean, I’m not, um, I’m not the kind of guy who—who’s into… casual… encounters.”

“…Casual encounters?”

Lee’s face was extremely red and he was trying not to look him in the eye. Gaara briefly wondered if he was having some kind of medical episode.

“Y-yes. You know… um…” Lee explained, apparently trying to convey his meaning by gesticulating wildly.

Gaara stared at him like a monitor lizard.

“… _Casual_ _sex_ ,” Lee hissed, before trying to cover up the word with a cough.

“Excuse me?”

Lee made a pained expression, before he leaned a bit closer and whispered the words once more, behind his hand.

“Casual sex?” Gaara asked, his voice much louder than Lee’s whispered tones.

Wincing, Lee shushed him and then nodded.

It suddenly clicked in Gaara’s head what Lee’s meaning was. “I see,” he replied, and hummed before continuing. “I’m not interested in that either. I’m not sure what I want, if I’m being totally honest. I’ve never been on a date before, or been intimate with anyone physically. I have little understanding of romantic relationships.”

“Oh.” Lee scratched the back of his head. “That’s very… honest of you.”

“What about you?” Gaara asked. “What are you looking for?”

Lee’s eyes were busy as he seemed to think for a few moments, tracking the dogs as they cavorted around the trees and chased the occasional squirrel. He dragged his gaze away from them to regard Gaara once more. “I’m looking for someone with whom I can share the beauty of youthful love with,” he said seriously. “My teacher—Gai-sensei—said that youthful love is the most splendid of all emotions. I wish I had his way with words, but I don’t. All I can say is that he made it sound most wonderful, and I’d like to experience it myself.”

Gaara frowned as he considered Lee’s words for a few moments. “I’m not sure I understand.”

Lee paused to pick up the stick one of the dogs had dropped at his feet and tossed it an impressive distance into the trees. It was swiftly followed by every single dog in the pack careening off after it, and Lee let out a little high pitched laugh in response.

To Gaara, it was like having his heart pinched—but in a way that was actually rather… pleasant.

That was odd.

“What is it you don’t understand?” Lee asked, glancing down at him and shoving his hands in his pockets.

“…Youthful love…? What’s the difference between that and normal love?” Gaara asked.

Lee chuckled and regarded him ruefully. “Well, I kind of thought you’d know all about love, seeing as you have it tattooed on your forehead.”

“My—” Gaara began, bringing a hand up to rub the roughened skin where the kanji was burned onto his forehead. “It’s… it’s not a tattoo…”

He could feel Lee’s gaze on him, so he decided to change the subject.

“I don’t know very much about love. I didn’t… My experience of it has been… unusual. I don’t have a good grasp of it. But I’d like to learn more about it,” Gaara replied, struggling with the lack of his normal eloquence.

It was quiet for a few moments.

“Well, I’m not exactly an expert… but I—” Lee coughed. “I would very much like… to help guide you. As well as I can, anyway. I promise to do my best!”

Gaara considered him closely for a few moments while he let the words sink in.

“Oh, there’s the café!” Lee chirped, and took a few steps ahead of him before letting out a deep sigh. “And the lake, too. Isn’t it beautiful?”

Gaara stepped out from the tree line and onto the grass. He looked across the expanse of lawns and reed beds to the lake stretching out across the park like an ocean. To the right, there was a small wooden building that looked a little bit like a bird house, with some tables and chairs nearby and a number of patrons milling about them. The sound of children giggling was in the distance – the playground was behind them, but there were seemingly some kids feeding the ducks somewhere near the water’s edge.

The small huff Lee let out made Gaara focus on him once more. His cheeks and nose were pink from the cold, but he seemed brighter with the winter sun on his face. He turned to face him with an even brighter grin, and there was that funny sensation in Gaara’s chest again.

“Come on,” Lee murmured, and held out his hand for Gaara to take.

It gave him pause. Gaara didn’t touch people very often, if ever. His siblings had struggled (at least when they were sober) to get over the no contact rule enforced by their father, and nobody at work had reason to touch him. The only contact Gaara ever received was the occasional accidental touch.

Slipping his hand into Lee’s was overwhelming. He felt almost heady with it; although they were both wearing gloves, the feeling of Lee’s fingers pressing into his and gripping him tightly was almost enough to send him into a state of exaltation. His heart was beating like a drum in his chest and it was like sparks were travelling down his arm from the place where Lee was holding his hand and guiding him towards the café.

“They do this mocha coffee there that’s really delicious. It’s kind of a guilty pleasure; I come here sometimes with my friends so we can take a break from our diets together,” Lee said with a chuckle.

Still staring at their joined hands, Gaara felt a strange twist inside of him. Friends..? For some reason, the thought that Lee would spend his time with anyone else was momentarily infuriating. He quelled it just as quickly as it reared its head with a finesse borne from years of therapy.

It was okay.

Lee had friends.

This was good.

Closing his eyes briefly, Gaara took a deep breath. “Friends?”

Lee paused to call the dogs over; they were nearing the café now and the dogs were busy playing in the grass. They trotted over to them obediently and a few of them sat down near the tables.

“Neji and Tenten!” Lee replied finally. “We’ve been friends since we were children, and Gai-sensei taught us everything we know!”

“Who is this Gai-sensei person?” Gaara asked, his brow furrowed. Lee had let go of his hand now they had found a table, and Gaara was trying not to let it sour his mood.

Lee’s eyes lit up. “My teacher, of course! He’s a master of taijutsu and he’s the most wonderful mentor you could ever ask for!”

“Yes, I remember. He taught you and your friends at his dojo, and you teach children there yourself now.”

Beaming, Lee nodded. “You remembered!” he was bouncing a bit in the metal chair he was seated in.

A waitress came over and took their order, and when she was gone, Gaara leaned forward a bit.

“If you don’t mind me asking…”

“Not at all!”

“If you have a job already, why are you working at the muscle bar?” Gaara asked, furrowing his brow.

Lee’s face went a shade darker, and it wasn’t from the cold this time. He coughed before answering. “You remember me saying that he taught us in a dojo..?” When Gaara nodded, he continued. “Well, the dojo itself is really just a commercial unit, but Gai-sensei doesn’t own it outright. He rents it, and even though he’s retired now, he still pays the rent on it so that his former students can continue his legacy.

Well, lately the cost of the rent has been increasing. Not every month or anything, but the tenancy is six months long and every time it renews, there’s a new increase in the amount. Gai-sensei is a great man, but… he’s never been a rich one. He can pay the bulk of it himself, but these days we need to help more and more,” Lee explained, his fingers drumming on the table a little as he spoke.

Gaara nodded in understanding. “So you took on an extra job to bring in more cash,” he said. “Why don’t you just find somewhere else?”

Lee sighed. “That’s what Neji suggested. But when we looked for somewhere else, we couldn’t find anywhere in our price range. I keep checking, but it looks like we’d have to relocate to a completely new area, and Gai-sensei doesn’t want us to do that. He says it isn’t fair on us, and even though we all said we would move if that’s what it took, moving would also mean having to find new students, which could take a while if we moved somewhere that Gai-sensei’s reputation wasn’t quite so prevalent.”

“Hmm…” Gaara hummed.

Lee jumped a little as the waitress suddenly appeared behind them with a tray and two large mugs. Lee’s was topped with a swirl of whipped cream and dusted with cocoa powder, while Gaara’s was plain.

“Ooh, this looks so good… Oh! You didn’t have the whipped cream? Are you trying to be good? Aw, you’re going to make me feel bad…” Lee chuckled.

“I’m lactose intolerant,” Gaara replied flatly. “I hope they remembered to use soy milk…”

“Oh.”

Gaara took a small sip of his drink and then froze.

Lee responded with a nervous look. “Everything okay? They didn’t use cow’s milk did they?!”

“This is the most delicious coffee I’ve ever had,” Gaara deadpanned, and took another small sip.

“Phew!”

Gaara put his coffee down on the table once more for it to cool. He heard the sound of a panting dog approaching them, before something heavy rested on his foot. Gaara peered under the table to see one of the dogs, apparently exhausted from running around, flopped under the table with his head on his right foot.

When he looked up again, Lee was putting his cup down on the table, and there was a small spot of whipped cream on his nose. Gaara’s mouth twisted into a smirk.

“You have cream on your nose,” he murmured, and then huffed out something like laughter when Lee’s eyes widened comically before wiping it off on the back of his hand.

The flash of Lee’s pink tongue so he could lick it off was not expected. The jolt of arousal Gaara felt deep in his belly, at once alien and primal, was equally unexpected.

He took a sip of his coffee. Maybe it would be best to keep the conversation mundane…

“So you’re trying to earn extra cash to pay the bills at your dojo?” Gaara asked. “Why not just offer to take a pay cut?”

Lee shook his head. “Gai-sensei would never allow that. He’s not running it anymore now that he’s retired, but Kakashi-sensei has taken his place at the helm and, well, they’re _married_ , so Kakashi-sensei isn’t going to break his trust.”

Gaara nodded in understanding.

“Anyway, it’s not just for the bills. I’m hoping that if I earn enough, I’ll be able to buy it from Segawa-san one day,” he said, leaning his head on one hand. He dipped his spoon into the cream on top of his coffee and licked it off.

Gaara let out a heavy exhale as he watched. His face felt warm.

“I know it seems like a long shot, but I have to try… Neji said that if it carries on like this, the dojo will probably have to close,” he added, dropping the spoon onto the plate and leaning back in his chair with a forlorn look on his face. “He even asked his Uncle to release some funds from his family’s estate, which surprised me. They’d never do that, of course, but at least he tried.”

Frowning, Gaara looked out over to the lake. The water was still like a sheet of glass, and the trees surrounding it were skeletal. The dogs were mostly all seated around the tables now, apparently tired of terrorising the geese and chasing each other.

“How much is the building worth, do you think? And is your landlord willing to sell?” Gaara asked, folding his arms.

“I have no idea. I’m not a property expert. And Segawa-san is… well, he’s had a very long life, and I guess he’s—uh—how should I put it…”

“…‘A cantankerous old bastard’?” Gaara offered.

Eyes widening, Lee shushed him. “ _Gaara_ -kun, that’s very rude!” Nonetheless, a smile was playing at his lips.

“Sorry. It’s what my brother says about his boss at the theatre.”

Lee chuckled. “Well, anyway, I’m not sure. I suppose he might sell it to me, especially if I offer a higher price for it…”

“It sounds like that’s going to take a long time,” Gaara replied. “Do you think you’ll work at the muscle bar for that long?”

Lee looked away. “I have no idea, but…even if it’s impossible…I need to try…” he trailed off, and his warm, dark eyes became blacker than the night in their seriousness.

Gaara’s heart did a funny sort of somersault in his chest.

“Gai-sensei’s dojo is… the dojo was like a home to me, when I was little. I-I didn’t have a normal life, and it’s the only place I’ve ever felt like…like I had a family. It gave me so much that I feel—I feel I have to give it something back,” he finished.

Gaara studied him carefully. Witnessing Lee share the details of his life in this way was an intimacy like nothing else Gaara had ever experienced outside of his own family’s tragedies. He wanted to know more, but he didn’t want to frighten Lee away by prying, so he simply nodded.

“I understand,” he murmured.

Lee’s smile in response was small and a little sad.

A peaceful silence settled between them. Gaara took a sip from his mug and watched two of the dogs wrestle on the grass a few yards away.

“So… Your brother works at the theatre?” Lee asked, a brighter look on his face now.

“Yes.”

Lee was back to bouncing in his seat slightly. “Oh, that’s so interesting! Is he an actor, then?”

Gaara hardly ever laughed, but he sometimes came close to it. This was one of those times. “Not exactly. He’s a puppeteer in the arts district… he works in Noh and Kabuki plays mostly.”

“Wow!”

“He actually prefers making puppets, but he’s a very skilled puppeteer too, so he’s in pretty high demand,” Gaara explained.

Lee chuckled. “That’s a pretty talented family you have! Your parents must be proud.”

Gaara was silent. He scratched the back of his head and looked away.

“Uh—did I say something wrong?” he asked, looking slightly mortified.

“No, it’s alright. It’s just that my parents are both dead,” he replied softly.

Lee blanched. “Oh! I’m so sorry,” he said.

Shaking his head, Gaara made a quelling motion. “It’s really okay. You’ve shared a lot with me today, it’s only right that I do the same.”

“You don’t have to—” Lee began, but Gaara cut him off.

“My mother died shortly after I was born. I never knew her. My father died when I was twelve. I was raised by caretakers he assigned to us before his death for a short time, but when Temari – my sister – turned sixteen, she took over the duties.” Gaara’s voice was flat as he said this, as if he were listing off the items on a shopping list rather than describing his miserable childhood.

Lee was silent for a beat. “I… I see. I’m sorry to hear that,” he muttered, his voice gentle.

Gaara nodded fractionally, and took another sip of his coffee. A few tense moments went by, during which Lee drummed his knuckles on the arms of his chair.

“So… You have a sister, too? What does she do?” Lee asked quietly.

“She’s on the Mayor’s Advisory Committee,” Gaara replied.

“Whoa!”

Gaara blinked. “She’s not where she wants to be yet, but the fact that she got to where she is before she turned thirty is impressive in my opinion.”

“I’ll say… I bet she’s a real tough cookie,” Lee chuckled.

“…She doesn’t suffer fools gladly,” Gaara replied with a small smirk. “You may have your work cut out for you.”

A pleased smile spread across Lee’s face at that. “Oh?” he said, and leaned forward with his chin on one hand, now grinning. “Does that mean I’m going to meet her?”

Catching onto Lee’s meaning, Gaara allowed a small smile. “Perhaps,” he muttered. “…Maybe after a few more dates, though.”

Lee grinned and bounced in his seat. “Really?! You want to see me again?!”

“Of course,” Gaara said, cocking his head to one side curiously. Did Lee think he would only want to see him once?

“Yosha!”

Gaara blinked as Lee punched the air.

“I’m looking forward to it!” he said, practically buzzing in his seat.

Nodding, Gaara smiled wider. “Me too.”

The walk back through the trees was peaceful, dotted with light conversation about their jobs. Gaara regaled Lee with descriptions of the exotic plants he tended to and the butterflies that lived on them, and in return, Lee promised to teach him some self defence skills. The dogs were _mostly_ well behaved.

When they reached the path near the entrance, the awkwardness set in. Gaara wasn’t sure what happened at this part.

“Would you like a ride home?” Lee asked, motioning to the parking lot a few yards away.

“…Are you sure I’ll fit with all those dogs in there?” Gaara asked.

Lee laughed. “I’m sure. Pakkun sat in the front on the way here, but I think that’s just because he usually sits there when Kakashi-sensei drives. But it’s a big car, and as long as you don’t mind Pakkun sitting on your lap, there should be plenty of room,” Lee explained, motioning to the small brown pug currently gnawing at his own leg.

The ride back was short, but it was one of the more chaotic journeys of Gaara’s life. As soon as the dogs were in the back of the car, one of them – Guruko, according to Lee – started howling like his life depended on it. He was soon joined by a chorus of howls so shrill that it would put an air raid siren to shame. He was surprised that Lee could hear his directions over the racket they made.

Pakkun, by contrast, was considerably quieter, and dozed right through the commotion on Gaara’s lap.

Inexplicably, the howling stopped when Lee stopped the car outside of Gaara’s apartment building.

“Oh, hey, you really _don’t_ live that far away from the park!” Lee chirped as he looked out of his window.

“I told you I didn’t live far away. Do you live even further away than this?” Gaara asked, unfastening his seatbelt.

“Oh, yes! About another five miles I’d say,” Lee replied with a nod.

If Gaara was going to date a fitness junkie like this, he was really going to have to stop being surprised by the insanity of Lee’s routines. Ten miles would probably kill a skinny little sapling like Gaara; yet Lee had called it a ‘short run’…

“Well… I guess this is goodbye then,” Lee muttered, fidgeting slightly.

Lee’s expression when Gaara looked back at him was rather pitiful. “Yes.”

“I’m, um—really glad you agreed to meet me today,” Lee said softly. His cheeks were a little pink.

“Yes, I was… rather excited to see you again,” Gaara replied.

“Really?”

“Yes,” Gaara replied, as if it was obvious.

“Oh,” Lee sighed, and grinned wider. “I was excited to see you again too.”

There was an awkward shuffle in Lee’s body language, and then he was leaning forward rather suddenly—

—only for his seatbelt to jam, holding him back. From Lee’s apparent strength, it was a wonder he didn’t break it. Instead, he laughed awkwardly, reached down to unfasten it, and then leaned forward again, more slowly this time.

Gaara watched him curiously, and then his eyes widened as a pair of strong, muscular arms wrapped around his shoulders. It was little awkward due to their positions and the still sleeping dog on Gaara’s lap, but then his face was pressed into a hard shoulder, and Gaara nearly passed out.

Up close, Lee smelled like mint and fresh air. His hair, which was brushing against his temple, was softer and silkier than anything Gaara had ever felt. Lee’s hand was on the small of his back, and it felt like electricity was shooting up and down his spine from where it was resting. Gaara’s ear was right next to Lee’s pulse, which was beating away like a hammer, and his cheek was pressed flush against the warm skin of his neck.

Gaara’s eyes rolled back a little and he let out a quiet, rattling groan.

Surely this wasn’t real. Surely he was going to wake up in a minute, and all these sensations will have turned out to be an extremely vivid dream…

Lee laughed and pulled away all too soon. “Was that you or the dog?” he asked, his eyes shining with mirth as he grinned, his arms loosened around Gaara’s shoulders, but his face was still close.

“Uh… it must’ve been the dog…” Gaara murmured, his skin prickling as he realised his lapse in self control. He glanced down to see Pakkun’s ear twitch.

“Oh, Pakkun,” Lee chuckled, and rubbed the little dog’s head affectionately. He glanced over his shoulder. “Looks like they’re all winding down now… maybe they won’t be so noisy for the rest of the ride.”

Gaara peered through the metal barrier between the front seats and the back. Most of the dogs were curled up in a pile, using Bull as a makeshift bed atop the folded seats. Guruko and Bisuke were looking out of the back window, apparently transfixed by something outside.

“I’ll let you get home then,” Gaara said softly.

Lee unravelled his arms from Gaara’s body and sat back in his seat fully. “Right. I’ll call you some time, so we can arrange another date?”

“Sure. I’ll see you later,” Gaara replied, opening the passenger door.

“Bye…” Lee had that forlorn look on his face again.

Gaara headed into his apartment, waving to Lee from his door as he drove away.

Then he sighed deeply, adjusted his pants, and headed inside.

If one date could do this to him, Gaara could only hope he would survive everything else.


End file.
